posted at 3:21 pm on February 28, 2014 by Allahpundit

Every single Romney donor we spoke with this week listed the former Florida governor as their top choice…

Also, with solid name recognition and the Bush political machine behind him, Romney donors believe Jeb is the most electable of the potential Republican candidates. For Romney donors, electability is the single most important trait.

“If Jeb Bush is in the race, he clears the field,” said one major Romney donor. “You would have someone who has the talent that is equal to Mitt. The natural inclination for Mitt supporters would be to gravitate toward Jeb Bush because he’s a candidate that can win a national race.”

Another huge factor that would help Bush — who has contacted some donors about their receptiveness to a presidential bid and is believed to be seriously considering throwing his hat in the ring — is that his current gig as a senior adviser to Barclays Capital has helped him meet many of the Northeastern private equity types who filled Romney’s campaign coffers.

Christie’s Bridgegate crumble is contributing to Bush fee-vah, but like WaPo says, Christie had already burned some bridges with Mittworld by babbling praise for Obama over Sandy relief the weekend before the 2012 election. Bush has been waiting around for Christiemania to cool among Republican centrists, and now it is, so here we are.

Help me understand this, though:

“If Jeb Bush is in the race, he clears the field,” said one major Romney donor.

Which field? Crowning George Bush’s brother the new king of the Beltway Republicans isn’t going to scare tea-party candidates out of the race. Rand Paul would rather face Christie than Bush for various reasons — Bridgegate, lower name recognition, smaller donor network, plus the fact that Christie has antagonized many more Republicans over the last few years than Bush has — but there are advantages to running against Jeb too. Now he gets to attack not just a RINO but a dynastic RINO, whose own mother thinks it’s poor form for the family to monopolize Republican nominations. Paul’s brand is that he’s a new kind of Republican; nothing would underscore that like running against a Bush, which means he might attract some voters who have issues with him but nonetheless want fresh faces in the party’s leadership. (I’m one of them. I like Paul but doubt I’d support him in the primaries — unless we’re given a stark “old guard versus new guard” choice.) And Paul may relish running against Bush even though it would make his task harder. If you want to shift the Republican Party’s foreign policy paradigm to noninterventionism, you can do worse than have George W. Bush’s brother as your opponent.

What the donor quoted by WaPo probably meant was that Bush would clear the centrist field. No more Christie: He’d conclude that he’s too badly damaged to beat a well-funded Jeb and decide to support him instead. No more Rubio: The Florida Republican establishment would swing behind Jeb, leaving Rubio with no operational base. Probably no more Paul Ryan either. Even if he was inclined to run, it’d be hard to make bank with Mitt’s old donors stampeding towards Bush and hard to turn to grassroots righties for support given that they’re peeved at him over amnesty and last year’s budget. But … what about Scott Walker or Bobby Jindal, who seems like he’s quietly building a proto-campaign? They’d make the same calculation that Paul will — that some segment of Republicans will blanch at the thought of nominating another Bush, whether out of objections to dynasticism or because they fear the “Bush” name is unelectable at this point, and jump in. They’d sell themselves as the Goldilocks option, more conservative than Crown Prince Jeb and more mainstream than Paul, and pull donations from both sides of the party. If/when the center and right reach a stalemate on Bush versus Paul, Walker or Jindal will be there as a compromise choice. The field won’t clear, unless your idea of “the field” runs no further to the right than Rubio.

Blowback

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Shockingly Jessie Jackson said it best “Stay out of the Bushes”. Jeb may have been good for FL as governor but he’ll be horrible for the election and the country. He’s nothing but a continuation of the ‘status quo” in D.C

You know what’s really funny? The left won’t say boo about this dynastic crap because their frontrunner is The Wicked Witch of Wellesley. Now if she drops out watch for the leftist media suddenly realize they don’t like political dynasties anymore.

You know what’s really funny? The left won’t say boo about this dynastic crap because their frontrunner is The Wicked Witch of Wellesley. Now if she drops out watch for the leftist media suddenly realize they don’t like political dynasties anymore.

Hahahahahahaha…..are these establishment goons for real? I didn’t vote for Romney, nor would I vote for BushIII. This is simply stupid. Next that scank Coulter will appear and start talking about how BushIII is the only choice. I’ll vote Libertarian again if the GOP can’t get someone that’s a real liberty supporting conservative.

What is this “most electable” crap? He wasn’t electable. He lost. And, while we’re on the subject, so did John McCain.

The GOPe brigade amazes me again and again. But I suppose, they’d rather lose than have someone who is not a squishy moderate. Just as I’d rather lose than have someone who is not a conservative. So we’re even.

I supported Perry for nominee the last time around and was told by my “Establishment betters” that Perry was a No-No because he reminded people too much of Bush.

The response I gave was that these same people arguing against a Perry candidacy would be gung-ho for a Jeb Bush candidacy.

So now, pray tell… I don’t care how smart or sophisticated Jeb Bush is. The question is: why will he fare any better than Romney or McCain? What argument is there for his candidacy?

It appears the two-headed party (RINO-Democrats) are intent on pushing another nominee that will ensure a conservative never sees the White House again. They are more than determined never to have a Reagan win again – no matter the cost.

These idiots don’t seem to get it. They’re like an act on the old Ed Sullivan Show. They had their run. Everybody has seen it. The ratings are down for the guy who spins plates on a stick….paint eyes on your fist and put a wig and some lipstick on it and have a conversation with it?..saw it…how about the guy who catches cigar boxes using other cigar boxes??…. HEY!…GOP!..try something new. Get a new act. Better yet, how about no “act” and put up someone who stands on principles?

Are these big money GOP Establishment donors seeing something in Jeb Bush that I’m not seeing–a special something that sings This is the man I want to be President? Is it his winning Jeb Bush charm? His dashing Jeb Bush good looks? His raw animal Jeb Bush magnetism? His irresistible Jeb Bush charisma?

No, sorry. Jeb Bush has LOSER emblazoned across his forehead like an indelible brand. He’s a middling former Florida governor with a somewhat better-than-average record whose last name happens to be Bush–and, unless people have forgotten, that surname does not exactly have a winning cachet.

If Jeb Bush’s oh-so-moderate and unobjectionable candidacy is shoved down our throats by sheer force of big donor money, I’m not doing it. No. Not happening. If that dumpy little squish wins the nomination, I’m advocating a third party split to separate us once and for all from these useless, weak, uprincipled, go-along and get-along Whig Republicans.

I used to think of myself that way. Now it’s a toss-up daily as to whether I loathe the DNC or GOP more.

Midas on February 28, 2014 at 3:31 PM

The problem is that it is, in most cases, not a choice between electing a Republican or a conservative; it is a choice between electing a Republican and a Leftist. And I’ll not stand by and let any conservative pretend it is otherwise.

That said, the Bush family has led to nothing but betrayal and defeat; betrayal of conservatism by Bush 41, and defeat of a GOP congressional majority, and the subsequent rise of the most Left POTUS in my lifetime, in the wake of an unpopular war and occupation by Bush 43.

Sorry Jeb. You’d have had your chance if you had beaten Lawton Chiles. You didn’t, and your less talented brother got the nod. Those are the breaks.

Ha, ha, ha. Resistance is going to be easier this time than anybody imagined. These GOPe fuc*kers have had their day. There is only so long you can impose your will when you have no vision, no courage and, worst of all, no ability to win.

Rubios Senate seat is up for reelection in 2016 anyway – as is Pauls btw. Do you seriously believe that they would run for president without a political safety net, Allah?

As for Jeb Bush: the fact that even conservative governors are smitten with this guy shows how wide and deep the chasm between base and leadership is.

Valkyriepundit on February 28, 2014 at 3:41 PM

By Kentucky law, Paul can’t run for both offices at the same time, so he needs to make a decision by this Summer or Fall on what he is going to do here. Run for his Senate seat which he will most likely win without serious opposition, or run for President.

Ya – but that’s pretty much how Hollywood (the masters of our Dem overlords) operates these days.
How many original movie/TV ideas have you seen lately?

dentarthurdent on February 28, 2014 at 3:54 PM

None that I can think of. Thats why it’s mostly background in the room.
Entertainment is entertainment but those jokers make up the rules and make out the bill and shove it in our faces.
They.Need.To.Go.

How nice, the WaPo is trying to help the Republicans pick their presidential candidate. It also just happens to be that it’s someone who they would never vote for and they will be orgasmic in destroying if it ever came to be.

But … what about Scott Walker or Bobby Jindal, who seems like he’s quietly building a proto-campaign?

My dream team. Seriously. I know neither one of them are ranked all that high with Conservatives. but they both have a huge amount of respect for the rule of law (which is a big deal right now, both socially and economically) and comprehend how to bring about the possible outcomes for the people they serve.

Dack Thrombosis on February 28, 2014 at 3:44 PM
Exactly what I was thinking. Electability is their biggest concern and yet their bet on electability last time came up short and now they want to lather, rinse, and repeat.

“Jeb Bush routinely has dismissed those who protest Common Core’s increasing federalization of local control over schools as conspiracy-mongers. But it’s President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan who’ve made common cause with Bush and corporate elites in foisting Common Core standards, tests, technology and data-mining boondoggles on local school districts. Obama, Duncan and Bush have been meeting with deep-pocketed CEOs in Washington, not with ordinary parents outside the Beltway.”

“Jeb World is getting rocked not only by this mess, but by the nationwide, grass-roots revolt against his top-down Common Core scheme — which continues to grow despite Bush’s latest p.r. efforts to bamboozle talk radio and conservative pundits about his education racket.”

This is a battle not between left and right, but between right and wrong.

I will happily vote for any Democrat. Done supporting Republican establishment candidates. Last Republican I was passionate about was Reagan. Knocked on doors for him…manned phone banks but the R’s can kiss my…if they think I will support anyone. To make my point I will vote Democrat.